Human Transfiguration can be used to essentially replicate the natural abilities of Metamorphmagi, allowing the practitioner or the subject to take on an entirely different form or make various individual changes to their appearance, such as growing or changing the colour, style or pattern of one's hair[2] or taking on individual animal body parts. However, while human Transfiguration can presumably be performed by any wizard who's skilled enough, on themselves as well as on others, a Metamorphmagus is born with the ability to make such changes to their own bodies with little to no effort and without the use of a wand.[3]

Although it is possible to transfigure humans into inanimate objects,[4] it is unknown how someone who had himself transfigured into an object would be able to untransfigure without the intervention of another witch or wizard. Probably, if witches and wizards perform this on themselves, they will do this with the intention of retaining their mental consciousness and abilities. Therefore, they could untransfigure themselves back to human form, both nonverbally and wandlessly.

"Harry turned and saw something monstrous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark.... It was Krum. He appeared to have transfigured himself — but badly."

Rubeus Hagrid attempted to transfigure Dudley Dursley into a pig, but only succeeded in giving him a pig's tail (or, according to another interpretation, willingly gave Dudley a pig's tail and joked to Harry about turning him into an entire pig).

While competing in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum attempted to transfigure himself fully or partially into a shark; ultimately, only his head was transfigured, the shark's teeth were misplaced.[4]

See also

Behind the scenes

In September 1994, when Draco Malfoy was transfigured into a ferret, he tried to get to the dungeons. Complete transfiguration into an animal makes a human think like the animal, except Animagus transfigurations.[10] This suggests that the attempted escape had nothing to do with him wanting to get to his common room and was coincidental.